BOY DIES IN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING

Victim, 10, had been playing in garage ‘clubhouse’ with girl, 9

San Diego 
A 10-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the chest Tuesday afternoon at a Miramar Ranch condominium complex while playing in a garage that a resident described as a “clubhouse” for kids in the close-knit neighborhood.

The shooting was reported about 4:15 p.m., and the boy died shortly afterward at Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego police homicide Lt. Jorge Duran said.

The boy had been playing in the garage with a 9-year-old girl who lives in the condo, Duran said. Her 14-year-old brother was in charge of them and there were no adults home at the time, police said.

A garage-door repairman who identified himself only as Mark said he was working outside at a neighboring condo, on Ivy Hill Drive near Scripps Poway Parkway, when he heard a single gunshot and a girl screaming. He rushed to the garage just feet away.

He saw the injured boy and called 911. A dispatcher instructed him on how to perform CPR, and he began chest compressions, he said.

The boy’s mother and father came running from their condo, several doors down. He said the father cradled his son’s head as CPR continued. A police officer arrived moments later, and she took over CPR until paramedics arrived, he said.

Neighbor Mike Mee also rushed to the scene. He had been outside washing his trash cans when he heard a pop, not knowing at first it was a gunshot. He said the boy was on the garage floor in the fetal position and was not moving. The girl was “crying and very upset,” he said.

Police found a 9 mm semi-automatic gun at the scene, police Acting Capt. Joseph Ramos said. There was a couch in the garage, along with boxes and clothing, Ramos said.

Mee said he saw the gun on the couch.

Neighbor Julie Choi said the boy was in fourth grade at Dingeman Elementary and was a friend of her son’s. She described him as very outgoing and social, someone who liked to joke, and said he loved to play outside. Her own children also played in the garage, she said. “Kids hang out there as a clubhouse,” she said.

Duran said the parents of the 9-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were being interviewed by police. He said pending results of the investigation, one or both parents could face charges, such as negligent storage of a firearm.